2008 February archive at TJ Gause

Posts for February, 2008

Book Report: Screams in the Desert

Published by TJ Gause - USA February 21st, 2008 in Self-Care & Spiritual Vitality and Marriage & Family. 0 Comments

Screams in the Desert: Hope and Humor for Women in Cross-Cultural Ministry, by Sue Eenigenburg

“Screams in the Desert is an invitation to participate in one woman’s cross-cultural journey and the lessons she learns along the way. Sue Eenigenburg’s poignant and humorous accounts of life oversees provide insight into issues that many woman encounter on the mission field. Join Sue for trips to the zoo, bouts of illness, landmine fields, miscommunications, and other everyday experiences of life in a foreign country. Providing women with examples to learn by, scripture to meditate on, and space to write about personal experiences, Screams in the Desert offers hop and humor to women working cross-culturally.”

In my opinion:

This devotion is an easy and very fun read. Sue shares experiences that many cross-cultural ministers face in a very real yet light-hearted way. Each devotion is short, practical, and includes relevant Bible study material. You’ll laugh out loud and cry at different entries. I highly recommend this book to any woman in cross-cultural ministry. In fact, I recommend passing it on to one’s ministry supporters as it will give them great insight into mission life.

A few devotional titles…

Diarrhea and Team Life

Listen, God, I’m speaking

Terrorists and Chocolate Cake

I Gave God My Life, But Not My Toothbrush

Prayer Needs 2/13/2008

Published by TJ Gause - USA February 13th, 2008 in Support Team. 0 Comments

This tunnel is a great description of what my life is like. It feels as though I’ve been in a long tunnel of “transition” since August of last year and it seems as though the tunnel exit is still a long way off. My transition started a couple of months before I left Puerto Viejo and doesn’t seem like it will end until I have started graduate school and am settled into a new apartment with a new job (in addition to this one with Alternative Missions).

With this in mind, here are my most pressing prayer needs:

A soul that seeks God’s purposes in the midst of this transition. I am a planner. God is a planner too (Jer. 29:11), but doesn’t always reveal that plan when I would like Him too. Am I still learning to trust Him?
Complete financial coverage of grad school ($35,000). If all educational expenses are paid, I will not be hindered in offering missionary care.
Finding a job that covers living expenses while I’m in school & that offers great benefits. Wouldn’t it be great to find a job that equips me to do missionary care?
Finding an affordable & safe place to live.

Grad School

Published by TJ Gause - USA February 8th, 2008 in Support Team. 0 Comments

“Anytime God leads you to do something of God-sized dimensions, you will face a crisis of belief. When you face a crisis of belief, what you do next reveals what you believe about God.” - Henry Blackaby

For me, attending graduate school is definitely an endeavor of “God-sized” dimensions. It is actually quite expensive and will require a lot of time an energy. While studying, I plan to work full-time for the university (hopefully) as well as continue working for Alternative Missions (for about 5 to 7 hours a week plus travel to our ministry locations during school breaks). Yet even putting all of this time and work into my education, I will not have the appropriate means to cover my expenses. One thing I know is that God is not lacking in resources and I trust that He will accomplish this purpose in me.

This is how you can help:

* Do you have any information regarding scholarships or funding for higher education?

* Are you skilled in writing grants or know someone who is?

* Do you work for a company that is willing to give as a tax-deductible donation?

Please email me with any information: TJ@alternativemissions.com

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

I Made It!

Published by TJ Gause - USA February 5th, 2008 in Blog and Welcome. 3 Comments

I got a call from Azusa Pacific University telling me that I’ve been accepted into the Masters of Social Work program. Not only that, but the call was made by the professor who reads through the applications before forwarding them onto the board for acceptance. She even made it a point to tell me how much she enjoyed reading my 10-page personal statement, saying that it was a pleasure to read about my personal & professional experiences (mostly in Cost Rica) and that my application essay was very well written. This was extremely encouraging news as I spent a lot of time on the essay and have had fears about starting grad school after such a 4-year break from undergraduate studies. (Thank you again, Maureen Saati for your help)

Acceptance into graduate school at APU means a few known factors and a bunch more unknowns.

What I know - That I will be attending classes and doing field work in the Azusa area for the next four years, which means that I will be moving up north. I also know that I’ll continue traveling and working with Alternative Missions, but will limit my hours per week (I’ll work between 7 – 10 hours a week for A.M.)

What I don’t know…yet – When or where I’ll be moving, what job I’ll be working to help pay for grad school and living expenses, how this job will work in conjunction with part-time field work during my 2^nd & 4^th years.

I Need Your Help Networking for Grants and Scholarships

I am pursuing a graduate degree because I believe it is what God has asked me to do. However, as a Christian missionary, I do not have the funding to pay for graduate school. This endeavor is a huge test of my faith and I admit that I am learning to place my confidence in the Lord. One thing I know is that God is not lacking in resources and I trust that He will accomplish this purpose in me.

This is how you can help:

* Do you have any information regarding scholarships or funding for higher education?

* Are you skilled in writing grants or know someone who is?

* Do you work for a company that is willing to give as a tax-deductible donation?

Please email me with any information: TJ@alternativemissions.com

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Financial Request

Published by TJ Gause - USA February 2nd, 2008 in Support Team. 0 Comments

To Family and Friends:

As many of you know, I have returned to California to begin a new role with Alternative Missions. I am working full-time for the home office helping develop Missionary Care and also doing web administration. Like all of the Alternative Missions staff, I am still raising financial support.

Before you continue reading, I’d like to acknowledge that recently, many of you have received similar emails from other missionaries you know. Praise the Lord that He is raising up workers for the harvest. My desire is not to burden you with information regarding my financial needs, but rather, to ask you to pray that God would raise up more ministry partners and to help me network.

I’m sure you can imagine that living in the U.S. is much more expensive than living in Costa Rica and I am finding it difficult to meet my monthly expenses. For the next 7 months (until I start graduate school), I will continue to raise financial support for monthly expenses as well as for one-time, missionary care trip expenses.

In order to continue with Alternative Missions, I need to raise and additional $2,300 each month. This helps to cover living expense such as fuel, groceries, insurance, etc. In addition, I will be making 2 trips with the Alternative Missions Missionary Care Team to visit three of our ministry locations. In April, I will travel to Tepic and Cofradia, Mexico and in May, I’ll travel to Helene, Honduras. Each trip will cost about $800.

Right now, one of my biggest challenges is networking to meet new financial supporters. Would you consider sharing the need for missionary care with your churches, friends and family, and in doing so help me to expand my contacts of potential ministry partners?

If you would like to donate financially, either one-time or monthly, I would appreciate your generosity. Donations can be made online through the secure Egiving Systems. Be sure to indicate that the donation is for TJ Gause.

Please don’t let this email negate the sincere gratitude I feel for those of you who pray for me regularly and for those who have supported me financially since God first called me into missions. It is true that together, God has accomplished much through us. I am confident of God’s call to serve Him by providing care to missionaries and therefore sure of His provision. I truly value you as partners in the ministry and know that you have not only invested in me, but in God’s kingdom. Thank you.

Serving Joyfully,

TJ Gause